If Only For A Day
by Ekai Ungson
Summary: Can a love born in dreams survive in the real world? Composer Hiragizawa Eriol met fasttalking designer Daidouji Tomoyo through music and song. But they can be torn apart by just about everything else...
1. Prologue I

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or CLAMP.   
  
If Only For A Day  
a fanfic by Ekai Ungson (Hikari_Sakura)  
  
Prologue I: Melody for Forever  
  
The music played only during the wee hours of the night in that house. A lot of people who walked past at around near midnight and heard the beautiful chords pour out believed that there was both magic and mystery at work in the large mansion where a young man and a slightly older woman lived. And they would be right.  
  
But, as beautiful as the melody was, it could not stand alone. There was always something missing in the compositions. It lacked... completion.  
  
He knew this, and was immensely frustrated, that his masterpieces were with void and his most precious work lacking something he could not provide, because his genius did not extend to those lengths. He could find no words to merge with the music to give it proper respect.   
  
So the songs remained symphonies, because there were no lyrics.  
  
Music, he could make, and in abundance, all hauntingly beautiful. Inspiration he could find in any object, grand or inanimate. Chords he could produce with little or no trouble at all.  
  
But words to complete them, he could not find.  
  
Frustrating, really, that fifteen out of every twenty compositions were mere notes playing and not songs as he wanted them to be.   
  
And they just kept piling and piling up as each inspiration claimed recognition. Hundreds upon hundreds of them.  
  
But solace he could not find, and peace he had so little, as each symphony he created called forth to be completed.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Violent crescendos rang out one after the other at the house that night.  
  
The woman sighed. "I think the work today got to him," she whispered.  
  
A hovering black cat perched itself on her shoulder. "No, he's just very angry at himself right now."  
  
"Whatever for?"  
  
"The songs are still not _SONGS_."  
  
"Oh. That."  
  
Suddenly, the music stopped, and they froze in response.   
  
"Come out from there, you two," a deep male voice called out.  
  
Akizuki Nakuru and Spinel Sun steeped forward sheepishly. "Sorry to disturb, Eriol-sama," Nakuru apologized.  
  
Hiiragizawa Eriol smiled. "No, it's all right. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. I've been keeping you awake, haven't I?"  
  
Two guardians shook their heads violently, but Eriol knew the truth. "Gomen. I know you can't sleep when I react like this on piano, bashing away like a madman. Right?"  
  
That was exactly what they were thinking, but of course they wouldn't let him know that particular tidbit of information.  
  
"No, no, Eriol-sama," Spinel was quick to reply. Nakuru was nodding furiously.  
  
Eriol pulled the cover back on the piano. "I'll stop."  
  
"Don't do it on account of us!" Nakuru wailed.  
  
"It's all right. I'm tired, and I'm going to bed. I think you should, too," Eriol answered. He left the music room and went upstairs.  
  
Music. after all, had been created to please.  
  
But what was the point if he couldn't please himself?  
  
He closed his eyes. There was always tomorrow, and the day after.  
  
There was always forever. 


	2. Prologue II

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or CLAMP.   
  
If Only For A Day  
a fanfic by Ekai Ungson (Hikari-Sakura)  
  
Prologue II: Lyrics of an Angel  
  
She had been born in music.  
  
Blessed with the voice of an angel and an enlightened mind, singing came to her as naturally as breathing, and writing lyrics for songs, she found, was her calling.  
  
But for career purposes, she took to fashion. The lyric-writing was sort of a hidden talent she kept only for her personal enjoyment.  
  
Beauty she could find, and beauty she could appreciate, as it came to her naturally. But somehow she could not find the beauty she sought to give her words life.  
  
She continued to sing, hoping to find some sort of melodious inspiration, but she found none.  
  
And each day the words in her head she pressed into paper, but they anounted to nothing. Still incomplete.   
  
She wanted songs, not poems, but all she could produce were lyrics with no definite melody.  
  
Still, she wrote on, believing that someday the words could be given new life.  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
By the light of one lamp and two scented candles, she wrote.  
  
"We say stars shine up in the sky  
Have we ever known why?  
Knowledge such as this mostly taken for granted  
Some things constant are almost always never wanted"  
  
Daidouji Tomoyo dropped the pen. This was coming out great, but not in the way she wanted it to.   
  
She sighed, then placed the sheet of paper and her pen in the now-crammed drawer. She'd fix that later.  
  
Right now she wanted to stay wrapped in her thoughts and think about how the lyrics she were writing would become songs.  
  
*Or maybe I should stick to singing them and not writing them,* she mused absently.  
  
She went to bed. Morning would come soon, hopefully with at least one set of answers.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
"Late night, huh, Tomoyo-san?"  
  
Tomoyo looked up. It was her associate, Kazeno Fia. She smiled. "Isn't it always a late night?"  
  
"What _have_ you been doing? Does it involve a man?" Fia asked.  
  
"Oh, I wish," Tomoyo laughed. "Has anyone seen Will?"  
  
Will Beauchamp was the gay designer for the fashion company that Tomoyo owned, 0105.   
  
"Right here, darling," Will breezed into the room.  
  
"Wonderful. Let's get this meeting started," Tomoyo said cheerfully. "Will, how are those designs going? We need them soon, you do understand."  
  
"I need a burst of inspiration!" Will wailed dramatically, generating laughter.   
  
"Well, let's hope you find it soon. I know autumn's just started, but we need the winter line. Now," Tomoyo said. "I've been working on some designs myself, if in the event Will doesn't finish before his cut-off date."  
  
Will looked at her. "Darling, I don't know whether to kiss or kill you."  
  
Tomoyo only smiled, then turned to Fia. "Fia, what's the word on the street?"  
  
"The people liked our spring line," Fia reported. "They still do. Profits are up by twenty-five percent."  
  
"Perfect. Let's keep it that way," Tomoyo pronounced. "That'll be all for this morning."  
  
"Surprisingly short today, Tomoyo," Will commented. "Can I talk to you? Over brunch?"  
  
"Sure, Will. Let's go now," Tomoyo agreed.  
  
....  
  
  
At the Cafe Moreau later...  
  
"Darling, I have a proposal," Will stated.  
  
"Propose," Tomoyo returned.  
  
"You know that I've been experimenting with this little thing called fabric design, right?" Will asked.  
  
Tomoyo sipped her cappucino. "Yes, and?"  
  
"Well... I love it. I think I love it more than clothes design."  
  
Tomoyo turned to him. "Will, are you quitting on me?"  
  
Will shook his head violently. "Of course not, darling! You and I promised each other at college that we'll build a company together, and that's what we're doing! i think, though, that 0105 should expand a bit. We can get our own fabric company and use the resource to make the clothes."  
  
"I sense a `but' coming," Tomoyo said.  
  
Will smiled weakly. "BUT since you're the one with the clout... I need your help to fund this company. Think about it, Tomoyo. It's a great investment. You design the clothes. I design the fabric. We'll be rich beacuse we're unique, and the fabrics we use will be copyrighted to our names."  
  
Tomoyo contemplated this as Will nibbled on a bread stick nervously.   
  
"But what are we going to do with the fabric you make that's not wanted?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"No, no, darling. See, we make the fabric only when someone asks."  
  
"And how long will making fabric for custom-made dresses take?"  
  
"One week, more or less."  
  
Tomoyo put her cup down. "I like it."  
  
Will's eyes widened. "You do?"  
  
"Send me a contract by tomorrow morning and you'll get funding immediately," Tomoyo said.  
  
Will jumped up and hugged her. "Child, I WORSHIP you!"  
  
Tomoyo laughed. "That's going a little overboard, darling. I love you, too."  
  
They smiled at each other. 


	3. Remember Me?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or CLAMP.   
  
If Only For A Day  
by Ekai Ungson (Hikari-Sakura)  
  
Chapter I: Remember Me?  
  
"Dear, dear. How much quirkier can you get?" Will commented as he opened the door for Tomoyo.   
  
"But I _like_ quirky," Tomoyo replied. "Makes me look artsy."  
  
"But the trenchcoat is so... Bohemian," Will argued.  
  
"Now, now. Bohemian happens to be very in," Tomoyo answered. "And besides, I'm not dressed entirely Bohemian; it's just the trenchcoat. And why are you faulting my fashion sense all of a sudden?"  
  
"I'm not faulting your fashion sense, darling--" Will said. "-- It's just that this is a formal concert--"  
  
"I know. I understood what you said the first fifteen times."  
  
They were on their way to a piano concert that night. Will had DRAGGED Tomoyo along to see the pianist, whom he remarked to be "heavenly, darling, just heavenly".  
  
Tomoyo figured. With Will, it was always something that involved a male. She wondered what had caught her friend's fancy this time to deem this pianist worthy to be his flavor of the month/week/day.  
  
At the concert hall, Tomoyo removed the decidedly Bohemian trenchcoat to reveal a simple sleeveless dress in pure white. On any other, it would look drab. On her, it looked enchanting.  
  
Will's smile widened. "Darling, you never cease to amaze me."  
  
"I aim to please," Tomoyo said. "Tickets?"  
  
Will handed her two pieces of paper she gave to the usher.   
  
As they sat down Tomoyo asked, "Does he play well?"  
  
"Who?" Will looked puzzled.   
  
"This dream man of yours," Tomoyo replied. "Does he play the piano well?"  
  
"Oh. I never noticed."  
  
Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."  
  
A hush came on as the opening pianist sat and began to play.  
  
After five symphonies, Will became skittish. "Where is he?"  
  
"Just one more and your dream man will appear," Tomoyo said.  
  
She was right. The first pianist stood to mild applause and left.  
  
In came a tall man with hair dark as the night sky and skin pale, like moonlight.  
  
Tomoyo shook her head furiously. Now she was dreaming up poetic musings about complete strangers.  
  
But somehow the man up on the stage didn't seem like a stranger to her.  
  
He began to play.  
  
"So beautiful..." Will murmured.  
  
Tomoyo had a feeling that her friend wasn't talking about Chopin's First Symphony, but she had to agree. _He_ was beautiful.  
  
Lost in the music, she was, and gladly. She barely noticed that his repertoire was complete 'til thunderous applause broke out.  
  
Will tugged on her arm. "Let's go backstage."  
  
"Are we even allowed?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Will looked at her incredulously. "You're Daidouji Tomoyo. Of course we're allowed."  
  
Tomoyo was beginning to see the real reason why Will brought her here.  
  
"Besides, you're a musical genius underneath all that fashionista skin. I'll bet you can bluff your way through," Will continued. "Ah, here we are."  
  
A hulking woman blocked their way. "Yes?"  
  
"We're here to see Mr. Hiragizawa," Will replied confidently.  
  
*Hiragizawa?*  
  
"Who shall I tell him it is?"   
  
"Miss Daidouji Tomoyo."  
  
The woman blinked. "Of Daidouji Enterprises?"  
  
"AND 0105 Fashions," Will said with a hint of pompous glee. "Her company sponsored this show, correct?"  
  
"That's... correct. Please go right in, Miss," the woman moved out of the way.  
  
Tomoyo shook her head. "I'm going in to see a complete stranger."  
  
"A completely HANDSOME stranger," Will rectified. He knocked.  
  
"Who is it?" A female voice called out.  
  
"Miss Daidouji Tomoyo!" Will replied.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan?" the female voice repeated. Tomoyo started. That voice sounded a lot like...  
  
The door opened, and Akizuki Nakuru bounded out. "Tomoyo-chaaaaaaann!!"  
  
"Nakuru-chan," she remarked, her voice muffled. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I go with Eriol-sama to all his shows," Nakuru replied.  
  
"Eriol...?" Tomoyo repeated.  
  
"Hello, Daidouji-san," a male voice greeted from behind.  
  
A male voice unmistakably...  
  
"Hiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo returned, turning around.  
  
"How long has it been?" Eriol asked.  
  
"Ten years, I think. Maybe more," Tomoyo replied.  
  
Eriol smiled. "It's been a long time."  
  
Tomoyo smiled gently back. "Yes, it has."  
  
Will was looking quite flabbergasted. "You know each other?"  
  
Tomoyo turned to him. "Since fifth grade. Oh. Hiragizawa-kun, this is Will Beauchamp. My friend, and escort for the night."  
  
Eriol shook his hand. "A pleasure."  
  
Will beamed.  
  
"How did you like the show?"  
  
"Amazed," Will breathed.  
  
"Beautiful," Tomoyo said. "I congratulate you, Hiragizawa-kun. Talent like yours never fades."  
  
"And yours?" Eriol asked. "What happened to the Siren of Tomoeda?"  
  
"She went back to the sea," Tomoyo replied dryly. "I sing rarely now. I haven't been asked to in years."  
  
"A shame..." Eriol commented.  
  
Tomoyo looked up at him and met his eyes of darkest blue, then later slate gray, then stormy metal. She mentally shook herself. She had no business with Hiragizawa Eriol.  
  
"Shall we go, Will?" she asked.  
  
Will nodded.  
  
She smiled at Eriol and hugged Nakuru. "If you're in Tomoeda, I guess I'll see you around."  
  
"Good night," Eriol said.  
  
"Good night," she replied.  
  
"It was nice meeting you," Will said.  
  
Out at the carpark, Will had become uncharacteristically quiet.  
  
"Will, are you all right?" Tomoyo asked.   
  
"Oh, yeah. I'm now officially over Eriol," Will replied.  
  
Tomoyo turned to him. "What??"  
  
"Well, child, I never mess with men who appear taken," Will continued. "Taken in by my best friend's beauty."  
  
Tomoyo could only stare, puzzled.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
At the mansion...  
  
"It was really nice to see Tomoyo-chan again, right, Eriol-sama?" Nakuru commented.  
  
Eriol nodded absently as he settled on the piano bench, fingers poised to play the melody running in his head for the past hour.  
  
Nakuru exited, then reentered. "Eriol-sama, that thing you're playing. Is that new?"  
  
"Yes, it's a new composition," Eriol replied.  
  
*Beautiful violet eyes and raven hair, clad in white, skin so pale.*  
  
"What's it called?" Nakuru asked.  
  
"I think I'll call it `Shiroi Hana'," Eriol answered. "White Flower." 


	4. The Scene Where You're There

DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimers apply. See Prologue I for full disclaimer  
  
DEDICATION: Honey-chan (Candy Paredes). Ai shite 'ru, otomodachi-san.  
  
If Only For A Day  
a fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
Chapter II: The Scene Where You're There  
  
The next day was off day.   
  
She began her morning maniacally arranging her apartment. When she was done, she discovered a whole pile of pictures to be framed, invitations not honored, trinkets that held sentimental value she'd all but forgotten about, and a lot more random clutter to be put away.  
  
She also discovered where she hid her old videotapes of "The Adventures of Card Captor Sakura, vol. 1-65". She took these out and placed them near her player.  
  
She remembered those times when one could call her "obsessed" with her best friend.  
  
To her, it was love.  
  
But not real, it turned out. When Kinomoto Sakura got engaged to Li Syaoran some years ago after college, and when Tomoyo built her own fashion company out of sheer determination. she got herself over the former cardcaptor. Sisterly love. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
She faced the couch and put in episode 65. "Sakura and the reincarnation of Clow Reed".  
  
This was the one that featured a very evil, very malevolent, did we mention very, VERY evil? Hiragizawa Eriol.   
  
What for? Absolutely nothing. Really.  
  
All right. She wanted to compare old Eriol with young Eriol. That was why she raided her closets for the said tapes.   
  
She popped the tape in, but the header was dirty. Tomoyo sighed. She would have to buy some cleaner. And while she was out, maybe some food, too.  
  
She didn't bother to dress up. Denim overalls, white shirt. For good measure, she picked out a black beret to pile her hair in and strode out of her apartment.   
  
She bought the cleaner, the food and some juice.  
  
Rounding a corner, she bumped into a tall stranger, spilling juice everywhere.  
  
She was going to fall, but the stranger grabbed her hand.  
  
"Sumimasen-- I wasn't looking--" she began, and looked up.  
  
To meet *aargh!* Hiragizawa Eriol's eyes.  
  
"Daidouji-san," he said. "What a surprise."  
  
*Surprise doesn't even _begin_ to cover it,* Tomoyo thought. She noticed the juice soaking them both and almost wailed in humiliation. "I'm so sorry-- I wasn't looking! Would you like to go to my apartment and change? It's really near."  
  
"Well.."  
  
"Please, it's the least I can do."  
  
Eriol smiled. "Thanks."  
  
Tomoyo was fervently thanking the gods he wasn't mad. She had HAD a taste of Eriol mad. It involved the destruction of the entire universe.  
  
She opened the door to her apartment and let him in, saying, "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go get us both a change of clothes."  
  
She retreated, wondering why her heart wouldn't stop accelerating.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Eriol strolled around Tomoyo's pad, taking in the girlish decor.   
  
He found her taste a tad complicated. Beaded curtains reflected she was artsy. Pristine flowered wallpaper reflected her girlish and classic upbringing. Her trinkets were scattered around the house, but it didn't look scatter-y at all. It spelled "TOMOYO" in clear letters. A mass of full contradiction.  
  
And then he found her dreams.  
  
Technically, he'd found her desk, but he saw differently. What he saw was a carefully horded treasure trove of starlight visions, written sometimes in flowing script and sometimes in messy, hurried writing.  
  
He picked one up and read.  
  
*"We say stars shine up in the sky  
Have we ever known why?  
Knowledge such as this mostly taken for granted  
Some things constant are almost always never wanted"*  
  
These were words he'd been seeking all his life.  
  
He turned the pages, all filled with her musings, and found an epiphany.  
  
A rebirth.  
  
"Hiragizawa-kun?"  
  
He returned the papers to their original state and turned to her with a smile.  
  
He froze. She was wearing a black sweater and a red fringed skirt. And her hair was down.   
  
"What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"I saw your papers," he replied lamely.  
  
"Oh, those. They're not very good--"  
  
"Quite the contrary. They're beautiful."  
  
She paused. "Well--- here." She handed him a blue shirt.  
  
"Why do you keep men's clothes in your house?" he asked, barely containing his curiosity.  
  
"I wear it."  
  
He looked floored, if her observations were correct.  
  
"So this is yours?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He was relieved. He thought it was her boyfriend's or something. "Your taste in clothes is... eclectic."  
  
She smiled. "Thank you."  
  
"So..." he began. "Can I borrow some of these notes?"  
  
She looked at him, puzzled. "What for?"  
  
"I'd like to study them."  
  
She agreed.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Tomoyo cleaned the VCR and went on to watch what she had intended to watch from the start.  
  
He had left an hour ago, giving her his thanks, and one of those smiles of his.  
  
The miserable cad. Didn't he know anything?  
  
Didn't he know that he was sending chills down her spine with his touch?  
  
Didn't he know she was breaking down in his lazy smiles?  
  
Didn't he know that she was developing a crush? She, Daidouji Tomoyo, who was physically immune and emotionally numb?  
  
Didn't he know that she wasn't supposed to feel this way?  
  
She mused that he'd changed, but not much, as she watched the video. She hit pause when she came to the scene where he was, then sat back, staring at his eyes.  
  
Deep, soulful eyes with no definite color.  
  
She shook her head. She had a LOT to write that night.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Eriol read page after page of Tomoyo's notes with a thirst that could be defined as "unquenchable".  
  
She had smiled gently back when they'd said goodbye, violet eyes shining.  
  
The insufferable wench. Didn't she know anything?  
  
Didn't she know that the burning look in her eyes was setting his soul on fire?  
  
Didn't she know that she could hold him in her hand and blow him away with just one smile?  
  
Didn't she know that these notes she lent him, the very ones she'd deemed 'not very good', were opening doors in his heart he never thought he could open, and some he never thought existed?  
  
Each word, each phrase was a revelation. It made him crave more, want more.  
He couldn't get enough.  
  
Or was it she, herself, he could not get enough of?  
  
He had a lot to compose that night. 


	5. Sing For Me

DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for official disclaimer.  
  
DEDICATION: syaoran no hime. Arigatou, imouto.  
  
NOTE: Yes, I have taken to calling Eriol by "Hiiragizawa". No complaints. I heard that's the right way to say his name.  
  
If Only For A Day  
by Ekai Ungson  
  
Chapter III: Sing For Me  
  
"He WENT to your house?" Will cried incredulously.  
  
Tomoyo covered her ears. "Do you have to yell? So what if he did? I already told you the less-than-impeccable circumstance that led to his little visit so--"  
  
"This is TOO interesting," Will commented.  
  
"Oh, do shush, Will. He didn't even stay long. Probably desperate to get away from me, The Sightless Wonder," Tomoyo answered.  
  
"Still, darling--"  
  
"No. I will not have you entertaining malicious thoughts about me and Hiiragizawa-kun."  
  
"Malicious? Me? Never in my whole---"  
  
~Daidouji-san,~ the secretary's voice went on the intercom. ~Someone's here to see you.~  
  
Tomoyo hit the reply button. "Who is it, Daia?"  
  
~A Mr. Hiiragizawa.~  
  
Will's smile widened.   
  
Tomoyo turned to look at her best friend and co-designer. Her expression went from shock to 'get the hell out of my office, Beauchamp. I mean pronto.'  
  
Will let out a mocking giggle before tactfully retreating into his own office adjacent to Tomoyo's.  
  
"Send him in, Daia, please," Tomoyo replied when Will left.   
  
Sure enough, Eriol went into her office carrying a paper bag and a bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo greeted pleasantly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to return these," he replied, handing her the paper bag, which she saw contained her notes and the shirt she lent him. "And these are for you, too," he added, giving her the bouquet that contained every flower specie known to man. "I didn't know what you liked so I told the florist to get a little bit of everything."  
  
She smiled. "Thanks. I love them."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
Silence.  
  
"So," she said, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "Anything else?"  
  
He smiled gratefully at her. "Actually, yes," he stated. "How would you... feel if I said I wanted you to write lyrics for me?" he let out in one breath.  
  
She looked up at him. "Pardon?"  
  
"How would you like to write lyrics for my compositions?" he asked.  
  
"On what basis?" she questioned.  
  
"I love your work," he stated quickly.  
  
"....That's a little... direct..."  
  
"I really do. You have talent, Daidouji-san, and.. I found in you--" *the mirror to my soul* "--I found something really good in you. Please?" he pleaded. "I can be very persistent."  
  
She smiled, a little surprised. "I'm sure you can, Hiiragizawa-kun. But.. well, I really can't commit to anything. I have the company to handle, and besides..." she trailed off. "I still don't know what I'm going to be writing for."  
  
An idea came to him. "Do you have time now?"  
  
"It depends. What for?"   
  
"Come to my house and I'll play for you."  
  
Some offers oozed temptation. This was one of them.  
  
But the company...  
  
Could function well enough without her, for a day.  
  
Tomoyo picked up the intercom phone. "Daia. Connect me to Kazeno-san, please."  
  
He smiled.  
  
She spoke a few seconds later. "Fia, this is Tomoyo. I'll be leaving early today. Early as in now. I have... prior engagements. I forgot to tell you. You can hold the fort, can't you? Yes. Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
She turned to Eriol with a winning smile. "Let's go."  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Will turned to Fia as they removed their ears from listening through the door.   
  
"What do you think?" Will asked.  
  
"Definite love connection," Fia replied. "But it's a good thing we told Daia I was going to be at your office or she wouldn't have connected the call and we'd be toast." She sighed. "HONESTLY. Tomoyo needs a break from her workaholic self."  
  
"I was thinking exactly the same thing," Will replied.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
"What is this about you and your fixation with big, imposing, white houses?" Tomoyo asked as they pulled up in front of Eriol's house. "No-- mansion would be a better description."  
  
"Solitude," Eriol said simply.  
  
"Solitude?" she repeated.  
  
"You'd crave it, too, if you had a hundred servants hovering around you, making you feel tense, and your father, breathing down your neck as if he wanted something but says it's nothing," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh, I know the feeling," she replied. "I craved solitude, too. But not as grandiose as this. Hence, my flat," she explained. "Still, why such a large house?"  
  
He led her to the music room. "It's easy to get lost in. And lose people in."  
  
Tomoyo nodded in realization. "Ah. You wish to hide."  
  
"Something like that," he agreed as he pulled out the piano bench. He motioned for her to sit beside him.   
  
She shook her head. *Neutral ground.*  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"So," she prompted. "Play."  
  
He did.  
  
She was lost. The music took her in and swept her away.   
  
Honestly. Music, and magic in one.  
  
She saw things she couldn't explain, and some she could not comprehend, and yet she understood.   
  
He was right. The music was incomplete.  
  
He stopped, and she opened her eyes.  
  
"What's the title?" she asked.  
  
"What did you see?" he questioned.  
  
She breathed in. "... A full moon. A lone man. Starlight. A beach. Pain." She looked into his eyes. "Loss."  
  
"Accurate on all counts," Eriol said. "This one's title is 'A Midnight Alone'," he stated. "I wrote it when I was on the Riviera, and the moon was full."  
  
"You're joking."  
  
He showed her the music sheet. There, in black ink, were the words 'A Midnight Alone'.  
  
"Heartbreak...?" she asked quietly.  
  
He only smiled.  
  
"Play it again," she requested.   
  
He obliged.  
  
The music came again, and the words just rose to her mind.  
  
*"There were no words spoken, there was just defeat, and I could not run away. There is nothing else but this pain, nothing else but this sorrow, nothing else but me, and the midnight, alone."*  
  
He smiled at her. "Perfect."  
  
She leaned against his piano. "All right. I'll be your lyricist. But I want something in return."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"I want you to write music for my lyrics, too."  
  
He turned to her. "You have a deal," he agreed. "Now, will you sing for me?"  
  
She would.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 


	6. Everyday

DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for official disclaimer.  
  
DEDICATION: Empress Sasami. Arigato, otomodachi-san.  
  
If Only For A Day  
by Ekai Ungson  
  
Chapter IV: Everyday  
  
Tomoyo was working with Eriol every spare chance she got. She wrote new lyrics for some of his old compositions. She was pasting some of her old words on them, either old or new, as long as it worked to both their liking. They worked sometimes together, in the same room, throwing comments and suggestions at each other, or apart, he at home and she at home, afterwards calling each other when new improvisations or inspirations arose.  
  
Music was keeping them together.  
  
Or was it really just that?  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Tomoyo really wasn't aware she was doing it.  
  
But one day at Eriol's manor she had been writing things without actually thinking about them, letting the words flow. It didn't matter if the words were coherent or not, as long as she was writing.  
  
And then she just found herself staring at the man on the piano.  
  
Staring at him, studying him, without actually consciously noticing.  
  
She found herself understanding just how beautiful he really was, when she'd memorized his beauty.   
  
Beautiful. Yes, there was no other word. It... how would she put it? It came from within.  
  
She shook her head furiously and stared at the paper she held in her hands and was surprised to see the whole sheet covered with verses about 'the beauty in him' and 'ice blue eyes' and... and...  
  
"Am I falling for you?"  
  
She folded the paper quickly, then shoved it in her bag. This was scary. Very scary.  
  
She could NOT be falling for the man.  
  
She should NOT be falling for the man.  
  
She WOULD NOT be.  
  
For Kami-sama's sake, he was engaged!  
  
For another, he was... well, he was practically Sakura-chan's father. A very malevolent, manipulating one. NOT her type, thank you.  
  
Just a crush. There was no other explanation.  
  
Attraction is to attraction was, and so what? The man was truly handsome. Intelligent to boot. But no, really. Thanks, but no, thanks.  
  
The more she tried, the more feeble her reasons sounded to her own ears.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Was she aware?  
  
Eriol atched subtly as the girl in the red armchair swung her legs over one arm and rested her back on the other. A slender hand went up to throw an insistent strand of raven hair over her shoulder. Watched as her violet eyes pored over the sheaf of papers in her hand, squint a bit and jot down another line.  
  
And he realized just then that this girl was completely unself-conscious, that she was completely unaware of her own beauty.  
  
When she smiled, she did so openly, without a trace of fake demure-ness. She walked proudly, with a regal gait in each step.  
  
She was real.  
  
Now he wondered about himself.  
  
He began to contemplate exactly what the woman had in her that he couldn't seem to get enough of her.  
  
He questioned why he could see exactly what she saw, and wanted what she, too, sought.   
  
He wondered why her mere presence was making him feel considerably lighter.  
  
He wondered.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
"The crescendo's off."  
  
Eriol looked up. "Again, Daidouji-san?"  
  
"It's off by five notes, and don't call me Daidouji-san, call me Tomoyo," Tomoyo replied.  
  
"I apologize on both counts."  
  
"You're forgiven, and my thanks."  
  
He smiled at her. "You're an enigma. A walking contradiction."  
  
"No, I'm just terribly brutish. You become like that in this business," she replied. "You, on the other hand, are impossibly prim, like a gentleman from the highest high court."  
  
An eyebrow rose from the Prim One.  
  
And an innocent smile from the Enigmatic Brute.  
  
Then, the insistent ringing of a cellphone. Hers.  
  
She listened intently to Fia, who was on the verge of insanity, and to Will (using the private extension in her office, no doubt), who was on the brink of tirade.  
  
She jumped up. "I have to go, Hiiragizawa-kun."  
  
"But we're not done."  
  
"We can't finish it in one day. Fia and Will are going crazy. I fear that if I don't get back to 0105 now, I'll find it in ashes later. I'm sorry. We'll do this another time." She gathered up her things, planted a kiss on his cheek, and with the speed of a skittish panther, let herself out of the mansion.  
  
He smiled. There was always that friendly familiarity. You get that after being friends for over ten years.   
  
As for the kisses, they were nothing. She'd began doing it a week after she began working with him. It surprised him at first, but he found comfort in them later.   
  
But he couldn't quite understand why he longed for something more.  
  
He frowned at the prospect of having to share her with her all-important fashion company.  
  
But he planned to fix that. 


	7. Takako Shirai (The River of Dreams)

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
DEDICATION: JM, who else? Who continues to wait faithfully for mwe to get these chapters up. Arigato, otomodachi. ^-^  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter V: Takako Shirai (The River of Dreams)  
  
"Where exactly are you taking me, Hiiragizawa? I've got--" Tomoyo broke off when she was pushed headfirst into Eriol's car.  
  
"Urusei yo, because no one will hear," Eriol replied cheerfully.  
  
"Don't you tell me to sahut up, you loon. What in the world is up with this?" she asked.  
  
"I'm taking you for a ride."  
  
"Ride where?"  
  
"Just shut up and you'll see."  
  
She kicked at the car interior. No matter what she said anyway, she knew Hiiragizawa's bullheadedness gave her no other options but stay and see where he was taking her. She strapped herself with the seatbelt and prayed.  
  
He was smiling that maniacal smile of his. Not a good sign. What the heck was up? She was wondering this and thinking all sorts of murderous thoughts as he started the car. This had better be good. This was making her curious.   
  
"Curiosity killed the cat, my Tomoyo," he stated, as if reading her mind. He probably did. Bastard.  
  
"I'm not a cat, Hiiragizawa," she retorted. Currently she was contemplating the 'my Tomoyo' bit. IT was making her edgy. Good edgy, but edgy nonetheless.  
  
He smiled benignly at her. "But you look like one, Tomoyo-san. Like a caged tigress."  
  
The exasperating.... CAD!  
  
"Yes, and I have claws to match," she replied bitingly. She had a meeting at 12:30 and it was 12:28. She held up slender, manicured hands, no polish. "Now. Will you talk, or shall I scratch?"  
  
"Threatening," he commented. He heard the low growl and began talking. "We're going to Hokkaido."  
  
Images of Japan's coastal village rose to her mind. She couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. "What for?"  
  
"I'm kidnapping you for a smooth period of two weeks to my beachfront house," he replied. The he counted silently. *One, two, three.*  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I said, I'm kidnapping you--"  
  
"I heard you right fine the first time, Hiiragizawa, you hopeless maniac! I meant, what FOR?!"  
  
"To compose, what else?"  
  
She turned to him and talked slowly, as if speaking to a child or a retarded person. Which was what the shameless windbag he was. "You do realize, Hiiragizawa, that I have a company to run."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"And I can't possibly go away for a whole week."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"I mean, what about my clothes?"  
  
"Taken care of."  
  
She turned to him. "How?"  
  
"Ruby Moon picked the lock at your apartment this morning," he replied.   
  
She looked at him disbelievingly.  
  
"Okay--" he conceded. "I helped a little."  
  
"That's breaking and entering, Hiiragizawa," she stated flatly.  
  
He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Don't get me arrested. All I wanted was for you and me to take an innocent break from civilization. I never meant any harm."  
  
She found herself laughing, against her will. Okay, so maybe when she returned 0105 would most probably be in ashes. And maybe she'd be bankrupt and would be living in the streets when this was over. But this was just ridiculous. Too ridiculous to actually pass up. "You could've ASKED," she said.  
  
"And if I did, of COURSE you'd turn me down flat," he stated.  
  
She tossed her hair. "Of COURSE I'd turn you down flat."  
  
He hit himself on the forehead. "Great logic, Hiiragizawa Eriol."  
  
They laughed.   
  
"Don't get too comfortable, Hiiragizawa. I'm still pretty mad. When I return and find 0105 bankrupt, I'M going to live with YOU for the rest of your known life."  
  
He smiled. "That's not exactly a bad idea, you know. Maybe I should keep you for more then a week to further ensure your company's downfall."  
  
She wapped him.  
  
They drove on for five hours more.  
  
Then at the end of the cliff road, Eriol pulled up in front of a beautiful house overlooking it.   
  
It took Tomoyo's breath away, to say the least. She was floored.  
  
"It's yours?"  
  
Eriol nodded. He stepped out of the car and helped Tomoyo out.  
  
Tomoyo got to thinking.   
  
Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Night fell, and Tomoyo leaned on the upstairs balcony of Eriol's summer house and looked out at the sea and the full moon.  
  
"The sea is not a sea at all, but in fact a river of dreams," she murmured softly.  
  
"Where humans lay their greatest wishes, and try to fight a god's great scheme," a deep voice replied from behind her.  
  
She turned and met soulful blue eyes. "Where women store the tears they weep; where men drown suffering in."  
  
"Where children hide when shadows creep," Eriol replied. "--when they find solace thin."  
  
"Like me who lay requests upon the dark waters."  
  
"Like me who searches the darkness for answers."  
  
She smiled at him. "Takako shirai."  
  
He smiled back. "The river of dreams."  
  
"This is getting a little scary," Tomoyo quipped. "Now we're answering to each other in rhyme."  
  
"How do you like the place?" he asked.  
  
"I believe in the power of money and miracles," she answered flippantly. "One of all, the house is beautiful. Two of all, I don't get why-- or how-- they built a house on the edge of a cliff. I feel like we're going to teeter over really soon."  
  
"It's pretty stable," he answered.  
  
"... And... I wanted to thank you," she said slowly. "For bringing me here. And taking care of everything. You were right. I need a break. And you were right when you said I'd turn you down if you had asked. So... yeah. Thanks for... kidnapping me, I suppose," she finished. "As much as I love 0105, the place was driving me insane."  
  
"You can't seem to leave it for anyone else, can you?" he asked. "You can't entrust it to anyone."  
  
"I have this... fear," she replied. "But what am I telling you this for? You took me here to compose music."  
  
He shook his head. "You know, Tomoyo, since we've been apart, I never heard anything about you. What have you been doing?"  
  
"0105."  
  
"And before?"  
  
"Would you believe, searching for my identity?"  
  
He grinned. "I would believe."  
  
"And what about you, Mr. I-Used-to-be-Clow-Reed?" she asked.  
  
He laughed. "You wouldn't want to know. It's boring."  
  
Tomoyo leaned back against the rail. "Enlighten me."  
  
Eriol looked at her. "The night is young, after all."  
  
"Yes," she agreed. "The night is young."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
AN: "Takako Shirai" as a title is from the Taiho Shichau Zo! soundtrack. ("You're Under Arrest!" to the unenlightened.) The poem is my original composition though.  
  
There, JM! Are ya happy now? I know you ain't happy yet 'til I produce three more chapters to satisfy your EriolxTomoyo craving. They're coming right up, by the way. ^-^   
  
I'm working, I'm working!!  
  
AND to Atheneum's Seniors: Hell-yeah, we rule! We rule the whole darn school! Kick up your heels get ready to shout 'coz the Seniors are breaking out! Let's go, let's go, let's go! Feel the heat! GO SENIORS!   
  
Congrats, guys. We did good. I'm so proud of us. ^-^ 


	8. Feelings, Emotions

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
DEDICATION: Atheneum's SENIORS who ruled at the Annual Cheerleading Interschool Competition! Hell-yeah!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter VI: Feelings, Emotions  
  
"Rise and shine, Hiiragizawa!"  
  
Eriol turned and put a pillow over his head. "Five more minutes."  
  
He felt the comforter wrapped around him get pulled off. "We can't spare five more minutes. Come on! Breakfast is getting cold!" he heard a female voice yell.  
  
Eriol threw the pillow at the girl on the side of his bed. "You're worse than Ruby Moon on a sugar rush."  
  
Tomoyo put her hands on her waist and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll take that as a compliment. Wake up!"  
  
He opened one blue eye. "You cooked?"  
  
She nodded perkily.   
  
"I didn't even know you cooked. I thought you didn't know how," he said, closing his eyes again and turning his back on her.  
  
Tomoyo's jaw dropped. "Oh, and I suppose you do? I bet you don't even know the difference between a dishwasher and an oven! If I left it up to you, I bet we'd starve! I did survive three years alone, you know!"  
  
Then to her eternal surprise, Eriol jumped up, planted a kiss on her cheek, whispered a quick "And good morning to you, too," then walked casually into the bathroom, leaving her standing there.  
  
Eriol grinned. Score one.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Tomoyo got rid of the dirty dishes with methodical speed.  
  
"You move at a fast pace," Eriol commented.  
  
She turned to him, her expression wry. "I'm in the fashion business. We INVENTED fast-pace."  
  
When she turned back to the dishes he asked, "Are you dating Will?"  
  
She smiled, but he didn't see. "I knew we'd come to the love life part sooner or later."  
  
"Are you?"  
  
She rinsed her hands with more slowness than he was comfortable with. "Will is sweet, and he's definitely cute..."  
  
Eriol clenched his fists.   
  
Tomoyo turned to him. "But Will Beauchamp is also gay."  
  
Eriol's jaw dropped.  
  
"He's very, VERY gay," Tomoyo continued. "And he wants one of us, but it sure as hell isn't me."  
  
Eriol was torn between relief, confusion, and outright shock. Score one to Tomoyo.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Will choked on his pesto.  
  
Fia turned to him. "You all right?"  
  
"I think someone's talking about me," Will wheezed.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
They moved to the balcony and Tomoyo asked, "Answer me honestly. Have you ever made out with Li-kun?"  
  
He grinned superiorly. "Once or twice."  
  
Tomoyo looked sick.  
  
"I'm kidding!" Eriol retracted. "No. Never. Ever."  
  
But the mental image THAT painted was stuck in her mind.  
  
Then they moved on to more serious tones.  
  
"... Are you still in love with Sakura-san?" he asked tentatively.  
  
She raised a finger in protest. "Correction, You-Who-Know-All," she said. "I was NEVER in love with Sakura-chan."  
  
An eyebrow rose. "But.."  
  
She shook her head. "I was in love with the notion of being in love," she said. "Frankly, it was because Sakura was the only person in the whole world back then that showed me love. So I loved her back, and she was my whole world."  
  
"You were so smitten, in fact," he said. "-- that you didn't notice the people around you who were loving you, too."  
  
She turned to him. "What do you mean?"  
  
He shrugged. "Exactly what I said."  
  
He smiled at her irony.   
  
She was an enigma.  
  
An enigma he longed to fully understand and posess.  
  
He played 'Shiroi Hana' for her.  
  
"When did you compose this?" she asked.  
  
He turned to her, his expression totally unreadable. "The night I found you again."  
  
She could find no reply.   
  
And, more so, she couldn't, because she didn't know exactly what to say to him.  
  
She didn't know whether she wanted to push him away or pull him in.  
  
She asked him nothing, but answered his questions truthfully. This could keep her safe.  
  
Because out here, away from everything, it was easier to forget what was real.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Over the next few days they scrambled to keep the tension from getting any thicker.   
  
Or at least, Tomoyo was scrambling to keep it together. Although she was the one more likely to throw caution to the wind and laugh as it flew away, she was being very, very conscientious now.  
  
What was puzzling her was Eriol's apparent lack of cooperation. She scoffed. Eriol, the Gentleman.  
  
One lazy afternoon, as they were in the middle of a composing session, he'd said casually, "I love you, Tomoyo."  
  
She was floored, but the fashionista side of her took over the job. She recovered with an "I love you, too, darling," reminiscent of Will.   
  
After that she began thanking the gods for her fashionista-social butterfly lessons from being friends with Will as he began throwing her bombshell after devastating bombshell.  
  
And at night, she lay awake, wondering where he was getting off.  
  
*I don't want to get hurt. And I don't want anyone else hurt!*  
  
Two weeks? Kami-sama.  
  
She could only pray.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
Tomoyo looked over her papers as Eriol played random notes.  
  
Then he stated suddenly, "This is for you."  
  
She turned.  
  
He played.  
  
"So I'll try and find a melody as beautiful as you--"  
  
Tomoyo burst out laughing at that.  
  
"Find the words to say your eyes are bluer than blue--"  
  
"But my eyes are not blue," she reminded laughingly.  
  
"Fill my voice with the emotion that I'm feeling for you--"  
  
She stopped giggling abruptly.  
  
"And now, when the beat is so strong, I'll give my heart in a song..."  
  
She drew a breath sharply. "Hiiragizawa..." she began tentatively. "What are you trying to prove?"  
  
He turned to look at her. "I first saw you standing in front of me in a white gown. The very next day, I chanced upon you in denim overalls. You're a fast-talking designer born in a family of complacency, raised to be demure. You're a princess born with the crown, but yo shucked the crown and worked your way up to be the queen of your own world. You're a contrast and an inconsistency, Tomoyo. The puzzle lies in you. Everyone around you believes to know you through and through beacuse you seem so open. And yet you still manage to hide something."  
  
"And what of you, Mr. Shrouded-in-Shadow?"  
  
"I'm openly mysterious. Everyone who sees me does not see me and never will and they know it within three seconds. You hide your mystery in terrifying openness."  
  
She smiled wryly. "You do realize that you're not making any sense."  
  
"You do realize that I love you."  
  
She shrugged. "Yeah, I love you, too, Hiiragizawa."  
  
"No, damn it!" He pushed the piano bench back and stalked over to her. Then to her surprise he kneeled in front of the chair she was sitting on to meet her eyes. "I _really_ love you. Not as in a friend. As in something more."  
  
Her bewildered violet eyes dulled. "Don't talk to me like that."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
She shook her head. "Don't. Dreams I can handle. Fantasies are okay. I can handle that. But don't talk to me about real love, Hiiragizawa. Don't. You'll only end up hurting us both."  
  
"Are you afraid?" he asked.  
  
"Hiiragizawa, I'm flat-out terrified," she stated. Then she jumped up and ran to her room, locking the door behind her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: A cliffhanger!! Hahahaha!! Er... but I got the next one right up, anyway. I promised four chapters uploaded. You guys spoil all my fun. ;P 


	9. Mine

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
DEDICATION: Luna!! Luna my Luna my one love and only one. Arigato for the ultimo waii art for "Starcast". I wuv you!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter VII: Mine  
  
The sun was already up, but Tomoyo didn't wake Eriol.  
  
He woke up to the house as quiet as a tomb. He found breakfast in the kitchen but no one in sight. He panicked. Tomoyo left?!  
  
But she didn't. Her clothes were still at her dresser in her room.  
  
So where was she?  
  
He looked out from the balcony and found her on the seashore.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
"What are you doing out here?"  
  
Tomoyo looked up. Figured he'd get up sooner or later. It was about time. She was done. "Thinking," she replied.  
  
"About what?" he prodded.  
  
She looked into his eyes. "The truth."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, the truth is, I love you, too, Hiiragizawa," she stated flatly.  
  
"You make it sound like it doesn't change things."  
  
"It doesn't."  
  
He smirked. "You just told me you loved me and you say it doesn't change anything? You're mental, Tomoyo."  
  
She ignored the dig. "Hiiragizawa, you do know that outside of this little world we locked ourselves in as whole other bigger world that we both have to get back to."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"And you're still engaged, my saying I love you doesn't exactly make that dematerialize into nothing."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
She breathed. "Sakura-chan told me last year. Anyway. I assume I'm correct?"  
  
"You correctly assume."  
  
She sighed. This was the hard part. "Well, since... we're locked in a dream world --forgive the poetic analogy; because this IS a dream world, and it's easier to forget reality here, where we are, away from everything and everybody," she said. "Here it's only you, only me. You say you love me. I know I love you."  
  
"I _know_ I love you."  
  
"Okay. So we both know we love each other. It doesn't change things outside. But it changes everything here. The point is..." she sighed again. "The point is... I think I can love you. And you can love me. But just here. When we leave, we leave everything we had here. When we return, nothing changes. Nothing is disturbed. You'll get married, and I'll go back to my old life."  
  
"Temporary happiness," he whispered. "Are you sure?"  
  
*My eternal pain,* Tomoyo mused. She nodded.  
  
The wind was blowing stronger now. Strong enough to break her, she knew. She had just laid everything on the line.   
  
He offered her his hand, and she fell into his arms.  
  
*"Dreams I can handle. Fantasies are okay. I can handle that. But don't talk to me about real love, Hiiragizawa."*  
  
She was living out a dream. She had to be prepared for a rude awakening eventually. But this... this was real love. Real.  
  
She hoped she did the right thing.   
  
But when she went back and woke up, would she be able to stand not having him for herself?  
  
Eriol held her in his arms that morning, two souls alone in their own world.  
  
Two souls brave enough to go against reality, if only for a time.  
  
If only for a day.  
  
She'd set the rules, she'd thought up the scheme.  
  
But he feared for her safety, too. He feared for the safety of her own heart with the limits she'd imposed on herself when it would all end.  
  
And hoped that he wouldn't find her devastatedly broken.  
  
He could protect her, really he could. He could keep her safe, but all he could do was wait, because she wouldn't allow him to help her.  
  
*Stubborn girl, you know I love you. I could give up everything for you... but only if you let me.*  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
"Did you know that true love asks for nothing..." Tomoyo sang softly. "Her acceptance is the way we pay..."  
  
"What's that you're singing?" Eriol asked.  
  
"'As'", she replied.  
  
"'As' what?"   
  
"Just 'As'"  
  
He looked at her in question.  
  
She began singing again.  
  
"As around the sun the earth knows she's revolving  
And the rosebuds know to bloom in early May  
This 'cause ain't no love's secure  
You can rest your mind assured  
That I'll be loving you, always."  
  
"Get it?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," he answered. "But that wasn't what you were singing a while ago."  
  
"Oh, you're talking about the chorus," she said. "'Did you know that true love asks for nothing? Her acceptance is the way we pay; Did you know that life has given love a guarantee to last through forever.. another day?'"  
  
"Nice song," he commented.   
  
She shrugged. "Shouldn't we finish that composition?"  
  
He laughed. "Business first, Miss Daidouji, huh? Always business first."  
  
"Hell, English," she said, leaning forward to meet his eyes across the piano. "I just want this over with so we can move on to better things."  
  
"Oh?" he questioned softly. "And what would be 'better things'?"  
  
"That, my dear, you will have to find out for yourself."  
  
He leaned forward to capture his lips with his but Tomoyo tactfully retreated. "Work," she said.  
  
"Tease," he accused her.  
  
She looked flabbergasted. "Me? The nerve."  
  
"Yes, you," he confirmed. "And yes, I WILL work. But first---"  
  
He grabbed her arm back, pulled her to him, and kissed her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: There. Y'all should be right happy with that right there. Two chapters and it's done! But first... I will finish the much awaited "Where You Are". 'Til next time, folks! Keep rocking! 


	10. Yours

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
(Final Chapter)  
Chapter IX: Mitsumeteru   
  
Surface tranquility will always just be surface tranquility. Emphasis on the word surface. Tomoyo could feel the storm brewing from under her feet just waiting to explode.  
  
Waiting to be unleashed.  
  
It had all began that one night.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
The phone rang in the middle of the night. Tomoyo jumped at the shrill, unexpected noise.  
  
In reflex, she turned.  
  
He wasn't there.  
  
Her blood froze. Slowly. Painfully.  
  
*"I never told them the number here. I only told one other person..."*  
  
It could be just a wrong number. Or a prank call. She shook her head violently. No, she wasn't that mental yet that she was hoping on something that obviously wouldn't be true.  
  
She closed her eyes, trying to block out his hushed voice. But the house was too silent. Nothing made any noise. If anything, his voice sounded louder, tormenting her.  
  
"Yes. I'm here. Composing. I'll be back in a week. I promise. Yes--"  
  
....  
  
"Don't worry. I will. I will.... I love you, too."  
  
....  
  
"... I love you, too."  
  
She bit down on her lower lip. Hard. Tears pushed their way out of her eyes in pain and frustration.  
  
And then she realized that what she'd been doing was a futile attempt to delay the inevitable. Kaho owned him. Kaho owned his heart and her soul, and though she had been able to reach them, she wouldn't and would never be able to attain them. It was useless.   
  
He still loved HER, no matter what he said.  
  
The fantasy was over.  
  
It was time to wake up to reality.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
He was a coward.  
  
Eriol put the phone back in its cradle, the guilt racking at him.   
  
It was one in the morning.  
  
He opened the door to the bedroom and a sliver of light entered, breaking the darkness.  
  
Her back was turned to him when he moved onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, wishing to hide from something he could not see and did not want to face.  
  
He felt her stir. "What...?"  
  
"I'm cold," he whispered into her hair. "Can you hold me?"  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . .   
  
She drew a steadying breath and wiped her tears away discreetly, hoping he wouldn't see in the blackness that enveloped them. Eriol was a man of many talents, she mused cynically. But what he didn't have was night vision.  
  
Then she turned around and held him as close to her as possible. Held him to her heart.  
  
For what would be the last time.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
He found her in the morning packing her clothes in the other room.   
  
"Where are you going?" Eriol asked.  
  
Tomoyo jumped, then turned to him. "I'm leaving."  
  
"But the week's not over."  
  
"Hiiragizawa--" she began. He winced. She shook her head and tried again. "Hiiragizawa, we're done anyway. Fifteen songs. Wasn't that what we agreed on? And..." she searched for other reasons. "... um.... I need to get back to Tomoeda. To work. It's almost time to expose the new line, and I have to be there."  
  
His blue eyes narrowed, and she averted her gaze, trying to avoid his wrath and suspicion.   
  
She'd taken a good, long look inside herself over the past few days, and discovered a fair amount of new things about herself and what she truly wanted.  
  
What she was truly capable of.  
  
She was capable of true love in the face of loss.  
  
She was capable of strength to face her fears and her own mistakes.   
  
She was capable of courage to do what was RIGHT, for him and for herself, with this walking away she was doing. She was capable of walking away from him, even though it meant shattering herself in the process, for the right thing.  
  
The right thing.  
  
She zipped up the bag and straightened, feeling the burning heat of his gaze on her all the while.  
  
"You heard me last night, didn't you?" he asked.  
  
She met his eyes. It was useless to lie. "Yes."  
  
Eriol ran a hand through his hair. "Tomoyo--"  
  
She shook her head slowly. "It's all right. No explanations. Remember? Dream world. What is here, we leave here," she said. Her eyes dulled. "She's calling for you back."  
  
Then, with this said, she picked up her bags and bypassed him at the door.  
  
He grabbed her hand. "That's it? You're just going to go? You're just letting _us_ go?"  
  
She gulped in the lump forming at her throat. "You and I... we both have different lives to lead. I just thought it's time for you to go back to yours in England and I returned to mine," she stated softly.  
  
Two seconds seemed like an eternity as deafening silence enveloped them.  
  
Then Tomoyo drew her breath in sharply and walked away.  
  
In Eriol's shock he didn't even notice that her hand had gone from his.  
  
Tears falling from her eyes, she walked out of the house they both considered sanctuary.  
  
And in essence, walked out of his life.  
  
  
--Fin  
(December 6th, 2001; Ekai Ungson)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: Okay. Before anyone goes and hatches a plan to murder me, I'M WRITING A SEQUEL. Please have a little faith. ^-^  
  
The thank yous-- (raises glass)  
  
-Joy, who lent me Erich Segal's "Doctors", whose biting humor was the inspiration for most of the dry humor in Eriol and Tomoyo's conversations;  
-Rachelle, who drew artwork for this that is simply beautiful, and read this fic and liked it;  
-Joyce-chan, who looooooooved this fic;  
-Kit Spooner, who, by writing "A Capella", sent me back into the ExT roll;  
-syao-chan, who loves me;  
-sasami-chan, who also loves me;  
-the people who read and review me on FF.net;  
-JM-san, who looooves Will Beauchamp (expect him in the sequel, "Still")  
-CLAMP, w/o them I would have no purpose in life  
  
--Dedicated to all the people who believe that dreams could be rendered real... if only for a day. 


	11. Yours

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
DEDICATION: ExT fans everywhere.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter VIII: Yours  
  
Tomoyo realized with some horror that she'd overslept.  
  
She reached out to the other side of the bed and found nobody. The irresponsible madman. Didn't even wake her up.  
  
She moved off the bed and turned to the clock. Kisama. She'd overslept for a figure of two hours.   
  
"Eriol?" she called out. "Eriol--"  
  
She paused, smiling. First names, now. It was an exhilarating experience. Like lovers.  
  
Lovers. As in two people in love with each other.   
  
And she liked it.   
  
"Eriol--" she called out again. Then a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind.   
  
"Good morning," Eriol whispered in her ear.  
  
She giggled. "Ohayou. Although it's not early anymore. I feel like it's closer to noon. Have you eaten? Sorry I couldn't wake up."  
  
"I intentionally didn't wake you up," he said. "Thought I'd let you sleep an 'til noon for once."  
  
"I have slept 'til noon once," she protested. "Or twice, or a hundred times, before when I had no purpose."  
  
"And what is your purpose?"  
  
"Get up early and cook you breakfast?"  
  
"And what if I say otherwise?"  
  
"Then you starve, darling. Simple," she replied dryly. "Now will you let me go? I'M starving."  
  
"I'll let you eat but I won't let you go," he answered. "I'll never let you go."  
  
"Is that right?"  
  
"Like bloody hell."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Her gaze turned to the phone, which she noticed hadn't rung once since they got there.  
  
"Eriol," she said. "Why doesn't anyone call yuo here?"  
  
He shook his head. "You miss the outside world?"  
  
"Not that," she answered. "Just that I find it odd that overconcerned guardians aren't seizing every opportunity to ask how you're doing."  
  
"I think they'd like to, if they knew."  
  
"They don't know?"  
  
"They don't know the number here. I only told one other person..."  
  
She didn't have to ask who the other person was. It was easy to guess.  
  
*Here you are mine, only mine.  
  
When you leave you are another's.  
  
And so I pray you do not pity me when I cry.  
  
I pity myself far too much already.*  
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: That reads horribly rushed because I'm in a netcaf fixing the original file. I'll replace it with the real stuff soon... I just need to upload pronto-like. ^-^ Sorry, guys. 


	12. Mitsumeteru

If Only For A Day  
an ExT fanfic by Ekai Ungson  
  
DISCLAIMER: See previous chapters for full disclaimer. ^-^  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
(Final Chapter)  
Chapter IX: Mitsumeteru   
  
Surface tranquility will always just be surface tranquility. Emphasis on the word surface. Tomoyo could feel the storm brewing from under her feet just waiting to explode.  
  
Waiting to be unleashed.  
  
It had all began that one night.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
The phone rang in the middle of the night. Tomoyo jumped at the shrill, unexpected noise.  
  
In reflex, she turned.  
  
He wasn't there.  
  
Her blood froze. Slowly. Painfully.  
  
*"I never told them the number here. I only told one other person..."*  
  
It could be just a wrong number. Or a prank call. She shook her head violently. No, she wasn't that mental yet that she was hoping on something that obviously wouldn't be true.  
  
She closed her eyes, trying to block out his hushed voice. But the house was too silent. Nothing made any noise. If anything, his voice sounded louder, tormenting her.  
  
"Yes. I'm here. Composing. I'll be back in a week. I promise. Yes--"  
  
....  
  
"Don't worry. I will. I will.... I love you, too."  
  
....  
  
"... I love you, too."  
  
She bit down on her lower lip. Hard. Tears pushed their way out of her eyes in pain and frustration.  
  
And then she realized that what she'd been doing was a futile attempt to delay the inevitable. Kaho owned him. Kaho owned his heart and her soul, and though she had been able to reach them, she wouldn't and would never be able to attain them. It was useless.   
  
He still loved HER, no matter what he said.  
  
The fantasy was over.  
  
It was time to wake up to reality.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
He was a coward.  
  
Eriol put the phone back in its cradle, the guilt racking at him.   
  
It was one in the morning.  
  
He opened the door to the bedroom and a sliver of light entered, breaking the darkness.  
  
Her back was turned to him when he moved onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, wishing to hide from something he could not see and did not want to face.  
  
He felt her stir. "What...?"  
  
"I'm cold," he whispered into her hair. "Can you hold me?"  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . .   
  
She drew a steadying breath and wiped her tears away discreetly, hoping he wouldn't see in the blackness that enveloped them. Eriol was a man of many talents, she mused cynically. But what he didn't have was night vision.  
  
Then she turned around and held him as close to her as possible. Held him to her heart.  
  
For what would be the last time.  
  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
  
He found her in the morning packing her clothes in the other room.   
  
"Where are you going?" Eriol asked.  
  
Tomoyo jumped, then turned to him. "I'm leaving."  
  
"But the week's not over."  
  
"Hiiragizawa--" she began. He winced. She shook her head and tried again. "Hiiragizawa, we're done anyway. Fifteen songs. Wasn't that what we agreed on? And..." she searched for other reasons. "... um.... I need to get back to Tomoeda. To work. It's almost time to expose the new line, and I have to be there."  
  
His blue eyes narrowed, and she averted her gaze, trying to avoid his wrath and suspicion.   
  
She'd taken a good, long look inside herself over the past few days, and discovered a fair amount of new things about herself and what she truly wanted.  
  
What she was truly capable of.  
  
She was capable of true love in the face of loss.  
  
She was capable of strength to face her fears and her own mistakes.   
  
She was capable of courage to do what was RIGHT, for him and for herself, with this walking away she was doing. She was capable of walking away from him, even though it meant shattering herself in the process, for the right thing.  
  
The right thing.  
  
She zipped up the bag and straightened, feeling the burning heat of his gaze on her all the while.  
  
"You heard me last night, didn't you?" he asked.  
  
She met his eyes. It was useless to lie. "Yes."  
  
Eriol ran a hand through his hair. "Tomoyo--"  
  
She shook her head slowly. "It's all right. No explanations. Remember? Dream world. What is here, we leave here," she said. Her eyes dulled. "She's calling for you back."  
  
Then, with this said, she picked up her bags and bypassed him at the door.  
  
He grabbed her hand. "That's it? You're just going to go? You're just letting _us_ go?"  
  
She gulped in the lump forming at her throat. "You and I... we both have different lives to lead. I just thought it's time for you to go back to yours in England and I returned to mine," she stated softly.  
  
Two seconds seemed like an eternity as deafening silence enveloped them.  
  
Then Tomoyo drew her breath in sharply and walked away.  
  
In Eriol's shock he didn't even notice that her hand had gone from his.  
  
Tears falling from her eyes, she walked out of the house they both considered sanctuary.  
  
And in essence, walked out of his life.  
  
  
--Fin  
(December 6th, 2001; Ekai Ungson)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
AN: Okay. Before anyone goes and hatches a plan to murder me, I'M WRITING A SEQUEL. Please have a little faith. ^-^  
  
The thank yous-- (raises glass)  
  
-Joy, who lent me Erich Segal's "Doctors", whose biting humor was the inspiration for most of the dry humor in Eriol and Tomoyo's conversations;  
-Rachelle, who drew artwork for this that is simply beautiful, and read this fic and liked it;  
-Joyce-chan, who looooooooved this fic;  
-Kit Spooner, who, by writing "A Capella", sent me back into the ExT roll;  
-syao-chan, who loves me;  
-sasami-chan, who also loves me;  
-the people who read and review me on FF.net;  
-JM-san, who looooves Will Beauchamp (expect him in the sequel, "Still")  
-CLAMP, w/o them I would have no purpose in life  
  
--Dedicated to all the people who believe that dreams could be rendered real... if only for a day. 


End file.
